The world's first matter-antimatter molecule
http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070910/full/070910-5.html
Positronium!
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Positronium!
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov
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Technomancer - Posts: 2379
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To quote Bill Engvall:
"THIS! IS! SO! RIGH-TEOUS!"
Thank you, Technomancer!
"THIS! IS! SO! RIGH-TEOUS!"
Thank you, Technomancer!
[color="Red"]As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. - Proverbs 23:7[/color]
The Sundries
Robin: "If we close our eyes, we can't see anything."
Batman: "A sound observation, Robin."
The Sundries
Robin: "If we close our eyes, we can't see anything."
Batman: "A sound observation, Robin."
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Doubleshadow - Posts: 2102
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Can warp drive now be far behind.Seriously if they have discovered/developed or whatever the first matter/antimatter molecule
then the realism of something like warp drive might not be a fantasy after all.As you remember it's a combination of matter/antimatter that
helps to create the field that makes warp possible.
then the realism of something like warp drive might not be a fantasy after all.As you remember it's a combination of matter/antimatter that
helps to create the field that makes warp possible.
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mitsuki lover - Posts: 8486
- Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2004 12:00 pm
Gotta keep that stuff in something too.
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov
-
Technomancer - Posts: 2379
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- Location: Tralfamadore
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mechana2015 - Posts: 5025
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They aren't really. The molecule is in existance for magnitudes under a second before disappearing in a "flash of light." That flash of light is the energy released from the matter/antimatter pair annhiallating itself. But they still have the tools to see exactly what happened with the particles.
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Slater - Posts: 2671
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The real question is when someone will invent some Dilithium crystals so we can put this stuff to WORK
[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Purple"]For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this: that one died for all, therefore all died; and he that died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. II Corinthians 5:14-15[/color][/font]
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Blitzkrieg1701 - Posts: 1884
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Seriously though once more it appears we have stepped beyond the bounds of science fiction.
Now when are the aliens landing?
Now when are the aliens landing?
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mitsuki lover - Posts: 8486
- Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2004 12:00 pm
O_o why are you guys so surprised, sheesh, this stuff has been around for quite some time, we've known about anti-matter since dirac first encountered negative probabilities in his eqn (named after him). Since then I've done problem in QM where we consider a hydrogen atom equivolent in anti-matter... But sorry guys, keep in mind that we're building may a few of these atoms at a time, but nothing close to the 10^23 we know and love from Avagrados number 
. Plus, it's only the equivalent to hydrogen (and not even an isotope at that) thus we still have a quite a LONG LONG LONG LOOOOONG ways till warp drive save some remarkable breakthroughs in science I don't see coming within my lifetime... without enhancements by computers from the law of accelerating returns .
-Pascal
. Plus, it's only the equivalent to hydrogen (and not even an isotope at that) thus we still have a quite a LONG LONG LONG LOOOOONG ways till warp drive save some remarkable breakthroughs in science I don't see coming within my lifetime... without enhancements by computers from the law of accelerating returns .
-Pascal
FKA Pascal
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Dante - Posts: 1323
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Anti-matter's nothing new, although what makes this interesting is the hybrid nature of the molecule. Of course, the researchers themselves are more interested in the fundamental properties of the stuff, in part to understand why the universe ended up with matter instead of either anti-matter, or an exact balance. As the article says, the authors also want to see if they can use the stuff to make gamma-ray lasers.
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov
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Technomancer - Posts: 2379
- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2003 11:47 am
- Location: Tralfamadore
All I really know about anti-matter is it's a rather bad idea to have an identical particles of matter and anti-matter in the same place where they can touch.Big KA-BOOM!
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mitsuki lover - Posts: 8486
- Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2004 12:00 pm
That's quite interesting. I wonder how long it'll take until they can actually put it to use.
I am convinced that many men who preach the gospel and love the Lord are really misunderstood. People make a “profession,â€
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That Dude - Posts: 5226
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Probably not for a long while.They have to learn how to keep it stable enough first before they can come up with more practical applications.
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mitsuki lover - Posts: 8486
- Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2004 12:00 pm
Stability may be difficult to achieve, although it may not have to last very long. I did some further reading, and it seems that the researchers hope to produce a Bose-Einstein condensate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bose-einstein_condensate) of the substance in order to produce a lasing effect. If they can do this, then the positronium need only last for a short period and the subsequent annihilation will produce coherent gamma rays. This would only produce short bursts, but they will have a very high energy density.
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov
-
Technomancer - Posts: 2379
- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2003 11:47 am
- Location: Tralfamadore
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